Rotary engine.



PATENTED MAR. 24, 1903.

A. .P. ANDERSON. ROTARY'ENGINB. AP-PLIOATION FILED AUG. 2.0, 1902.

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N0 MODEL.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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Witnesses PATBNTED MAR.'24,1903. A.P.ANDERsoN.l r

RUTARY ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. zo. 1902.

3 SEETS-SHEET 2.

No MODEL..

NH tu moes UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

ANDREWPETER ANDERSON, OF MILBURN, UTAH.

ROTARY ENGINE.

t SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 723,226, dated March 24, 1903.

' Application filed August 20. 1902. Serial No. 120,309. (No model.) l

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW PETER ANDER-` SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Milburn, in the county of Sanpete and State of Utah, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has relation to rotary engines; and it consists of certain novel features of combination and construction of part-s, the preferred form or materialiaation whereof` will be hereinafter specifically set forth, and` pointed out in the claims.

The object of my invention, among others,

is to provide an engine of the character specified which will reliablydrive the piston in a continuous rotation, thereby` enabling the pounding due to reciprocatory motion, as isf common with the ordinary steam-engine hav` ing a longitudinally-moving piston, to be com-Q pletely eliminated.

A further object, among others, is to pro-` vide very simple though reliably efficient devicesadapted to confinethe live steam and` concentrate the force thereof directly upon the forwardly-moving part of the rotary pistonand also to providefor the free exhaustof the steam in advance of the moving extension of the piston, said objects being accomplished, as will behereinafter specifically set forth, by the employment of a minimum numare made a part of this application, and inv which- Figure l is a top plan view of my rotary engine complete. Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a similar view to that presented in Fig. 2, showing the cylinder-head and certain parts `carried thereby removed. Fig. 4. isa centralvertical sectional view on line w w of Fig. l. Fig. 5 is a central sectional `view as seen from line :1; of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the piston and the driving-shaft to which it is` secured or with which it is integrally formed. Fig. 7 is a sectional view on line y y of Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 8 is a sectional View of the piston removed from the cylinder as seen from the dotted lines s s ofFig. 4. Fig. 9 is a sectional view as seenfror'n the dotted line tof Fig. 4, while Fig. 10 is ay perspective view of one of the valves removed from its contiguous parts. In referring to the various details of my invention and cooperating accessories numerals will be employed, the same numeral refer- .ring vto a similar part throughout the several views.

The numeral l designates the base member, which may be of any preferred form or size deemed most suitable to meet the requirements and is provided with standards 2 and 3, the former standard being designed more especially for the purpose of carrying the cylinder or housing proper, 4., while the standard 3 is provided at its upper end with a boxing adapted for a purpose hereinafter more clearly set forth. The cylinder 4 is provided at each end with a suitable head 5, said head having, as is common, a diametricallydisposed extension or sleeve designed to cooperate with thez'usual stuffing-boxes 6 and 7, said boxing providing suitable bearings for the piston-shaft 8 and also preventing the escape of steam.

Integrally formed with the shaft 3 or other wise rigidly attached thereto is the rotary piston 9, said pistonbeing substantially disklike in form and is adapted tov rotate within the casing or cylinder 4., as is common. At

diametrically opposite points of the periph- IOO so formed upon one side as to be provided with the extension 11, the outer surface of which presents an inclined plane extending from the periphery of the piston to the extreme outer end of the web 10, the surface of the extension 11 gradually merging into the l extreme outer surface of said web.

Upon the opposite side of the webs 10 from that occupied by the extension 11 I provide the rib or web reinforcing section 12, which subserves a purpose hereinafter more clearly pointed out.

The piston 9 is provided upon each side with annular grooves or ways. 13 and 14, the former groove providing a path through which the live steam gains access to and 'drives the piston, while through the annular groove 14 the exhaust-steam is permitted to pass out from the space in advance of the web 10 and its co'perating inclined reinforcement 11, as will be hereinafter more clearly specified.

l It will be observed by reference to Figs. 8, 9 and other views that the piston is provided with properly-located inlet-ports 15, through which the live steam is introduced into the semi-annular space in advance of the web 10, while the exhaust-port 16, communicating directly by proper bearings or branches With the annular way 14, affords a path or roadway through which the exhaust-steam is discharged into the open air without exerting any ofV its expansive force Aas a back thrust upon the extension or web 10 of the piston.

In ,order to successfully operate my improvedrotary engine, I have provided the `spring-controlled sliding valves or vsteamholding devices 17, said valves being mounted in bearings 18, located at proper points around the periphery of the cylinder or casing, as will be more clearly seen by reference to Fig. 4. Eaclrof the said valves is provided with properly-formed channels 19, the object of the channels being to permit the steam to pass above the main or body portion ofsaid valve, thus insuring that the steam' will practically ysu rroundsaid part, and thereby distributeor equalize the pressure and permit the valve to more freely reciprocate in the performance of its office. The valve 17 is so formed-that it will be provided with a'suitable stem 20, which is preferably round in cross-section, said stem being l adapted to pass through a properly-located stuffingboX in the upper end of the valve-seat or bearings 18, the extreme upper end of said stem being provided with a notch orrecess into which the free end of the arm 2l extends, while the opposite end of said arm is pivotally mounted upon the properly-located bracket 22, said bracket being in turn firmly secured in place in any preferred manner, preferably to one of the cylinder-heads or to the gland or diametrical extension carried by said head, as will be more clearly observed by reference to Fig. 7. The free end of the arm 21 is normally held in contact with the end of the stem 2O of the valve 17 by means of a suitable spring 23, the outer end of which is provided with the loop-section 24, adapted to encircle a contiguous part of the arm 21, while the inner or lower end takes around and is secured by the free end of the threaded anchoring-bolt 25, said bolt being secured in any preferred way to a contiguous part of the bracket 22.

It will be observed that each of the arms 2l is provided, preferably, with the plurality of properly-located notches or recesses 26, into any one of which the loop 24 may be caused to take, therebydenitely locating the force to be brought to bear upon said arm by said spring and enabling the operator to readily graduate the degree of tension to be sustained by said arm and applied thereby to the valves 17, thereby insuring that each of the valves will be held in intimate and close contact with the peripheral face of the piston and caused to ride over the peripheral face of the piston upon the inclined surface 11 and across the end of the web 10, and thence passing down the inclined surface of the web 12 into contact again with the face of the piston proper, which latter, it will be observed, is concentric to the shaft upon which said piston is located. A greater or less degree of tension may also be given to the spring 23 by means of the butt or nut 27, which is adapted to be screwed up or down upon the bolt 25, thus decreasing or increasing the tension upon the said spring 23. The elongated end of the piston-shaft 8 passes through the boxing upon the standard 3 and carries at its outer end the belt or driving pulley 28, said pulley being rigidly keyed or otherwise secured to the said shaft.

In operation the steam is injected intothe cylinder 4 through a suitable pipe 29, said pipe registering with the orifice '30, said orice in turn registering with the annular chan'- nel 13 of the piston 9. The steam passes thence through the ports 15 into the chambers 31 and 32, formed by the Webs 10 and two of the valves 17. Owing to the factthat the valves 17 are held normally down against the periphery of the piston 9, the live steam meets with a resistance in this direction, so that by the expansion of said steamy the piston 9 is caused to rotate by the expanding steam pressing against the webs 10. Immediately after the live steam ent-ers the chambers 3l and 32 the exhaust-steam in the chambers 33 and 34, formed between the valves 17, is permitted to enter the exhaust-ports 16, from thence into the channels or grooves 14, and into the discharge-pipe 35.

It will be understood that when the piston 9 turns another quarter' the chambers 33 and 34 will form the live-'steam chambers and the chambers 31 and 32 will form the exhaust-steam chambers. It will also be understood that the valves 17 will alternately ride up on the inclined surface of the projection 11, thus permitting the webs 10 to pass the said valves 17, the inclined web 12 permitting the valves to gradually descend on the opposite side of the webs 10, thus allow- IOO ` and tensionfspring 23.

ing the valves to be raised and lowered with: out any undue jar or friction. The valves 17 are returned to their normal inward position through the medium of the pivoted arm 21 p Should it be desirable to manufacture the cylindert out of soft material, friction-plates 36, of steel or othersuitable hardened metal, may beinserted in the bearings 18 to afford a solid wearing-surface forthe valves 17.

It will of course be understood that while `I have described' in the foregoing specification and the accompanying drawingsV what may be regarded as my preferred form of mechauical expression for my ideas and invention in rotary engines various modifications may be made in such construction and combination withoutmaterially departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and I therefore wish to comprehend such substitutes and equivalents -as may fairly appertain tojthe` combination and construction presented. y

It will be observed that the valve member 17is reciprocatingly mounted in itsseat and that steam-channels 19 are provided for the valve member, which enables the live steam to reach both sides or ends of said member, thus practically iuclosing the valve within a steam-chamber and preventing the end thrust,

which would otherwise strike the extreme in- `um of the drive-wheel 28 or otherwise.

ner end of the valve if the channels 19 were omitted. The provision of said channels also prevents the forming of a vacuum in the outer end of the valve-seat or that portion of its interior adjacent to the stuffing-box upon an inward thrust of said valve.

By the means I have herein provided, as illustrated and described, it will be seen that the rotary piston will be continuously driven, and thereby rotate the shaft in a positive manner and actuate such machinery as may be connected to said shaft through ythe medi- The live steam will find its way, as hereinbefore stated, first into the annular groove 13 and thence through the port 15, to be discharged immediately behind the web 10, thereby applyingthe expansive force of the steam upon the face of said web and insure that the pis- .ton will be rapidly rotated.

It will be further obvious that ample pro- Vision has been made for the escape or eX- haust of the steamthus introduced as soon as the exhaust-port 16 has moved `past the inner end of the piston 17, which latter is always held in close engagement with the peripheral face of the piston by action of the springmembers 23. This operation of the introduction of the live steam and the ex `6o prising the disk-like member 9 having the extensions or webs 10, which latter snugly engage the inner face of the cylinder and thereby divide the annular space around the piston into two parts, in combination with a plurality of valves 17; means to normally hold said Valves inward and yieldingly permit the same to be forced outward by the projections ou the piston whereby the piston may be supplied with live steam through annular grooves in each face thereof communicating with inlet-ports extending upon opposite sides of said webs or extensions and said steam permitted to escape or exhaust through suitable exit-ports carried by said piston all combined substantially as specified and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a rotary engine, a casing, a piston rotatably mounted therein and comprising a disk-like member having swells or webs the outer surfaces of which fit snugly the inner wall of the casing and each provided upon one side with an extension 11 and upon the opposite side with a web 12 with ports 15 leading therefrom, said disk-like portion being formed with ports communicating there-` movement by contact with the projections on the piston, and suitable steam supply and discharge pipes, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth. t

In testimony whereof I aiiix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

ANDREW PETER ANDERSON.

Witnesses: j

CHRIS JENsoN, PETER C. CARLsToN.

IOO 

